20 



this, as it is even in this solid thickness very of- 

 ten interspersed with a layer of coal slate, or 

 more properly premature coal. — The blacksmiths 

 of this place make use of it principally, & like it 

 for their work very much & I expected if the 

 mine was to be opened coal of a fare superior 

 kind, than it is used now, might be found. — not 

 only in this place & along the river as I stated 

 before, the vein of coal has been observed here, 

 but in almost every place in this nighborhood. 

 A very mighty bed of it, seems to lay all through 

 this bottom & along the ascend of the mountain, 

 which in a future period will make this place 

 very rich & convenient for fuel. In examining 

 this place a particular impression on the slate, 

 near the place where the water runs down a deep 

 hollow, struck my eyes very much : it appeared 

 but very slightly & seemed to be worn away a 

 great part by time & water : these impressions 

 were very little sunk in the slate & about 8 or 10 

 inches wide & from one to three teet long, mark- 

 ed throughout by very regulare rows of deeper ex- 

 cavations in a diagonal direction. I observed 

 4 or 5 of these pieces of impressions close to one 

 another laying in an irregulare direction. 



These impressions but me in mind of the large 

 st« ne in your possession with the net form'd im- 

 pression which we supposed to be a species of Cac- 

 tus; but those here are not exactly the same figure 

 but as regulare : I had a great wish to get a piece 

 of this slate out but as I had no tools I deter- 

 mined to come out again, provided with tools & 

 plaister of paris that in case 1 should not succeed 

 in getting a piece of stone, to make a kind of a cast 



